3 Brides on Their Last Night as a Single Lady

BW and AM: Before Wedding and After Marriage. Your whole life changes in just one night after you say "I do," so we wanted to find out how brides spent their last night as a single lady. Here, three stories.

The Bride Who Used the Last Night as a Stress Reliever

Olivia, whose life as a married woman began four years ago come August, says, "Ok, this doesn't paint me in the best light but I went to a local bar and had tons of drinks with three girlfriends who were in town for my wedding." Warming to her story, Olivia relives the happy memory: "We had fried foods, martinis and did lots of dancing." Afterward the friends "crawled into my hotel room bed, makeup still on our faces and laughed about being young, about how I was the first of us to get married and how my hubby to be was so different than all my high school boyfriends."

Olivia says it was a huge "stress reliever" after months of planning a wedding. "I just let it all go and had a blast with all my closest friends — it's exactly what I needed," she says.

Married two years, Tiffany explains, "My last night as a single woman was fun, nerve-wracking and stomach-turning." Instead of holding her rehearsal dinner at a restaurant, the bridal party descended on Tiffany's mom for a "huge dinner with music, drinks, Jell-O shots, a variety of food and just great people."

Tiffany wants it on record her sister made her do orange peel shots, but once she was finally in bed many questions crossed her mind: Would she make it down the aisle without crying; would her husband cry as she walked down the aisle toward him; would people actually show up for the wedding; would the food be good?

Tiffany ends, "Although my mind was scattered, one thing I knew for sure: the next day I was marrying my best friend. If everything else fell apart, that would still be the case. And that has proven to be true."

The Bride Who Had a Date Night with Her Groom

When Caitlin wed in 2011 she and Jose had been together 10 years. Each had been married before. This time would be different — relaxed and intimate (25 people). Since she had done it before, there were no nerves on the night before the big day. Caitlin remembers, "We saw no need to sleep separately." Instead they shared Chinese food, cuddled up, and watched the most appropriate movie possible — Bridesmaids!

*Sherry Amatenstein is a New York City-based marriage therapist and author. *